Thursday News, November 8th

(Le Mars) — You may have noticed some construction equipment at the Le Mars Country Store located at the intersection of Business Highway 75 and Highway
3. This week Kimmes Enterprises, owner of Country Stores convenience store chain, broke ground in Le Mars to expand consumer fuel choices. The store is adding registered E-15 (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent petroleum, E-85, E-30, E-50, and B11 (11 percent biodiesel, 89 percent diesel. Construction
is expected to wrap up the first week of December. Steve Kimmes, C-E-O of Kimmes Enterprises says biofuels reduce the amount of toxic chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions in the air. Ethanol blends also have a higher octane rating, boosting vehicle performance. Biodiesel has a higher cetane rating and increased lubricity, prolonging the life of the engine. Kimmes
says these benefits contributed to the company’s decision to add the fuels to the Le Mars location. Kimmes says, “we are excited to support our local community by offering fuels Iowa farmers help produce. Not only are biofuels are good for our rural economy, but they are good for public health, the environment, and the customer’s pocketbook. Kimmes says “there is no downside, only benefits for our customers.”

Plymouth County 4-H And Agricultural Society To Hold Annual Meeting

(Le Mars) — The annual meeting of the Plymouth County 4-H and Agricultural Society, also known as the Plymouth County Fair, will be held tonight beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Plymouth County Extension and Outreach office in the lower level of the Le Mars Convention Center in Le Mars. Election of directors will take place during the annual meeting. The following director
terms expire at the annual meeting: John Ahlers, Brad Collins, Brad Harvey, Bob Kabisch, Candice Nash-Farrer, Chad Peters, Matt Reuter, Loren Schnepf, and Gail Schoenrock. The annual meeting will also review the 2018 Plymouth County Fair, and discuss suggestions for the 2019 Plymouth County Fair.
Membership to the Plymouth County 4-H and Agricultural Society is open to any county resident that pays a $5.00 one-time membership. The membership fee must be received before 4:30 p.m. at the Plymouth County Extension and Outreach office on the day of election in order to vote this evening. The regular board of directors monthly meeting will follow the annual meeting.

Tuesday’s Elections Had High Voter Turnout

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Secretary of State’s office says turnout for Tuesday’s election was the highest for a midterm general election in the state.
The office said in a written release that more than 1.32 million
votes had been tallied by Wednesday morning, marking the highest number for a midterm election in the state’s history. The previous record of more than 1.14 million votes was set in 2014.
The office says nearly 61 percent of Iowa’s more than 2 million
registered voters participated in this year’s elections, including the primary election. That marked the highest percentage for a midterm election year since 1994, when turnout topped 62 percent.
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Aging Voting Machines Created Problems On Election Day

ATLANTA (AP) – Election experts have long warned about the nation’s aging fleet of voting equipment. This week’s elections underscored just how badly upgrades are needed.
Across the country, reports poured in Tuesday amid heavy voter
turnout of equipment failing or malfunctioning.
Scanners used to record ballots broke down in New York City. Voting machines stalled or stopped working in Detroit. Electronic poll books used to check in voters failed in Georgia.
Voting experts had hoped the threat of foreign governments meddling in U.S. elections would prompt action to upgrade election machinery.
But two years before the 2020 presidential election, 41 states are still using machines that were manufactured more than a decade ago and a dozen states are using at least some electronic machines that produce no paper trail.

Nationwide – Democrats Make Gains In State Legislatures

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Republican wall that has stood in state capitols for much of the past decade now has a few holes in it.
Democrats flipped control of seven gubernatorial offices and about a half-dozen state legislative chambers in Tuesday’s first midterm elections of President Donald Trump’s tenure.
Yet those victories didn’t quite reach the lofty goals of an
anticipated blue wave. That left both major parties with reasons for hope as they look ahead to another pivotal battle in 2020.
Some of the biggest wins for Democrats came in the Midwest, where they defeated Republican Govs. Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Bruce Rauner in Illinois and picked up open Republican governor’s seats in Michigan and Kansas.
Democrats also flipped control of governor’s offices being vacated by Republicans in Maine, Nevada and New Mexico.

Iowan Selected To Serve As Interim Attorney General

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The man who will serve at least temporarily as the nation’s top law enforcement official is a Republican Party loyalist from Iowa who has called for limiting special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Matthew G. Whitaker will become the nation’s acting attorney general following the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions. President Donald Trump announced the appointment Wednesday. He says a permanent attorney general will be nominated later.
Whitaker, who is 49, is a former federal prosecutor and has served as Sessions’ chief of staff for one year.
Most of Whitaker’s relevant experience came when he served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2004 until 2009. In that role, he managed attorneys who prosecuted federal crimes and represented the government in civil matters in half of Iowa.

Farmers Still Waiting For A Farm Bill To Be Passed

(Le Mars) — Now that the mid-term elections are over, farmers are still waiting for a new farm bill to be passed. U-S Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa says the passage of the farm bill during the lame-duck session, will depend on whether congressional members will be willing to compromise on the requirements involving the SNAP or food stamp program.

(Des Moines) — Forecasters say wide sections of Iowa may get a one-two punch of snowstorms over the next two days. Meteorologist Rod Donavon, at the National Weather
Service in Johnston, says if you haven’t already dug the snowblower or snow shovel out of the shed, now is the time.

Some parts of the state, in the Interstate 80 and Highway 30 corridors, may get snowfall from -both- storms. Another warning, Donavon expects temperatures to dip down much chillier than normal, and anyone heading out will need to break out their heavy winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves.